Randy Vale was a student of Empire State University who stumbled across Miles Warren’s secret laboratory. While looking around in the lab he accidentally freed Carrion from his clone casket. Carrion grabbed Randy's neck and gave him a choice: Either serve him and be given great power or die where he stood. Randy chose the former and Carrion made him a powered-flight suit and laser pistol. Carrion also informed him that these were just to help him fight Spider-Man and that the real powers he would get would be those belonging to Spider-Man.
Randy worked covertly until Carrion ordered him to eliminate White Tiger, who had learned Carrion was targeting Peter Parker and was watching over him. As Darter, Randy flew behind White Tiger and stunned him with a laser blast. Failing to notice White Tiger was still conscious, Darter called in to report to Carrion that he had completed his mission, only to be taken by surprise by his opponent. Darter was losing and tried to escape, but White Tiger jumped on his back and they crashed through a window into ESU’s gym, where Carrion was accusing Spider-Man of murders of Gwen Stacy and Miles Warren. Darter continued the fight against White Tiger to stop him intervening on Spider-Man and Carrion’s fight. White Tiger managed to entangle Darter with some rigging ropes, but Darter used fingertip lasers to free himself and renewed his attack. White Tiger dodged Darter as he tried to ram him, and Darter crashed into Carrion, knocking Carrion and himself into to an empty swimming pool, knocking himself out in the progress.
When he woke up he noticed that Spider-Man and Carrion were gone but White Tiger was lying on the bottom of the pool. Darter though he was dead and left to find Carrion. When Darter flew out White Tiger awoke and followed him. When Darter got to the hidden lab he found Spider-Man strapped to an examining table under attack by the Spider-Amoeba that Carrion had earlier infused with Spider-Man’s blood. Darter was enraged that Carrion had given Spider-Man’s powers to it and not to him as promised. Opening fire on Carrion, Darter was hit in the face by Red Death powder thrown by Carrion. Darter dropped his gun which misfired, accidentally freeing Spider-Man in the progress. With his last breath Darter begged Carrion's forgiveness but Carrion left him to die.
